Harry Potter and the Unsinkable Ship
by KingLeeh
Summary: Titanic. It's the ship of dreams. To everyone, especially Harry Potter, a poor man with nothing but his two best friends, a drawing pad, and a heart that never stops hoping. It's the ship of dreams, but to Draco Malfoy, it's a slave ship, taking him back to London in chains.
1. Chapter 1

**So you ever wondered what Titanic would have been like if instead of Jack Dawson and Rose De Wit Bukater, it had happened to Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy?**

 **Well, I wonder about it all the time, so I decided to do something about it.**

 **So dear readers, welcome to Harry Potter and the Unsinkable Ship!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Titanic or any of the Characters portrayed in this story. I'm just twisting them around a little for my own pleasure, and hopefully yours.**

 **So, Enjoy!**

 **-Leeh**

:::

"I don't see what all the fuss is about," Draco Malfoy drawled, as he stepped out of the car, "It doesn't look any bigger than the Mauritania."

Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father stepped out after him, laughing coolly, "You can be blasé about some things Draco, but not about Titanic. It's over a hundred feet longer than Mauritania. And far more luxurious." Draco just turned away and stepped closer for a better look as he helped his mother out of the door.

"Your son is far too difficult to impress, Narcissa," he heard Lucius say. Draco fought the urge to roll his eyes as he turned his gaze back onto the Titanic. He had lied. He knew it was much bigger than the Mauritania; he just didn't want to give Father the satisfaction of his awe. It was far bigger than any other ship he had seen. It was marvelous.

"So this is the ship they say is unsinkable," said Narcissa as she brushed past Draco.

"It is unsinkable," bragged Father, as if he had been the one to build it, "Not even God himself can sink this boat. What is it?" He turned, annoyed at the man who had tapped his shoulder. Draco walked closer to the ship, following Mother as she went towards the boarding ramp.

They walked past the 3rd class passengers, as they were being inspected.

"It's the ship of dreams," he heard a young girl squeal in her father's arms.

"You're right, it is," he laughed back at her.

Draco walked swiftly past, studying the many small portholes on the sides. The ship promised to have long corridors, golden doors, draped dinner tables and strolling minstrels, playing their violins.

It was the ship of dreams, to everyone else.

To Draco, it was a slave ship, taking him back to London in chains.

Outwardly, he was everything a well brought up son should be. Inside, he was screaming.

:::

Harry Potter looked at the cards in his hands with narrowed eyes. He spared them only a glance before he lifted his eyes, letting them wander around the table. To his right, sat his best mate, Ron Weasley. His upper lip was sweating and his eye was twitching. He was staring at his cards as if willing them to change into something useful.

Harry sighed at his lack of subtlety. He really needed to work on his poker face. Any idiot could tell that he had a shitty hand. Behind him, stood Hermione Granger, Harry's other best mate. She sat biting her lip as she whispered encouraging words into Ron's ear.

She too could tell that he had no hope, but ever the optimistic one, she encouraged him nonetheless. Next to Ron, sat Michael Corner. He ignored his cards, and was instead glaring at the man next to him and hissing angry words in Italian. The man on the receiving end of the anger, and sitting on the other side of Harry, was Ernie MacMillan. He wasn't much in terms of looks or... well, anything really. He had been stupid enough to try and hit on Hermione with Ron in close proximity, so he must've been stupid from birth. He was the reason this poker game was happening in the first place anyway, but he looked to be regretting it, because he looked even more distressed than Ron.

"Harry," hissed Ron, leaning over, "you utter idiot, you bet everything we have."

"When you've got nothing, you've got nothing to lose," he smiled, blowing a stream of smoke past his lips.

Michael again spat angrily at Ernie in Italian.

Harry looked at the centre of the table, where sat all the winnings. Some old crumpled bank notes, a lot of coins, a box of matches, an army knife, and a pocket watch. But the only thing any of them really cared about was the 3 slips of paper resting on top of it all. Tickets to board the Titanic.

"Michael is furious," whispered Hermione, translating for them, "He can't believe that Ernie bet their tickets."

"Neither can I," said Harry. He glanced once more at the cards in his hands, and he decided to take a chance. He set my 5 of hearts on the table, and Ernie was quick to snatch it up, sliding over his own card. Harry took it and put it in his hand.

It was time.

"Alright," he said, sitting up, "moment of truth. Somebody's life is about to change. Ron?"

He glared at Harry, and Hermione sighed as he threw his cards down.

"Nothing?" Harry asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Nothing"

"Michael?" Michael let go of his cards as if they disgusted him.

"Nothing." he said again, "Ernie?"

Ernie smirked as he set down his cards with pride.

"Uh oh." sighed Harry, "Two pair." he looked at his friends, "Ron, Hermione, I'm sorry." Hermione shut her eyes and rubbed her temples as Ron growled.

"Sorry?" he yelled, "Sorry my arse! You bet all our money-"

"I'm sorry," He interrupted, "You're not going to have spaghetti for a long time." Ron blinked as Harry grinned, "cause we're going to London!" he slammed my cards on the table, "Full house boys!" he whooped.

Hermione screamed, leaping into the air. Ron's eyes widened and he shouted for joy, grabbing the tickets and kissing them. "Bloody hell!" he yelled, "We're going to London!" he turned to Hermione, who took the tickets, also kissing them and yelling. Harry laughed as she pulled us into a group hug.

"Harry, you bloody genius!" she shrieked.

"We're going home!" he yelled, turning to the table. He swept up all the winnings into his bag, when Michael grabbed him by the front of his shirt, his fist raised. Harry braced myself for a punch, but instead, Michael's fist knocked Ernie out of his chair. Harry laughed in relieved surprise as I turned back to the others.

"We're going home!" he yelled again, grinning as he kissed the tickets."

"No" said the bartender. They all turned to him, frowning, "Titanic go to London, in five minutes."

Harry's eyes widened, "Shit."

They grabbed their bags, and they suddenly became grateful that everything they owned could fit into a couple of drawstring bags. Harry grabbed the money and they bolted out of the bar. Five minutes never seemed so short as we ran as if their life's depended on it.

"We're riding high now!" yelled Hermione as they ran, "Regular swells!"

"We're practically Goddamned royalty!" laughed Harry, ducking stairwells and people.

Thy maneuvered past parked and moving cars alike, bumping into horses and knocking people over.

"You're insane!" yelled Ron.

"Maybe, but I got the tickets!"

Hermione laughed as she ran.

"Come on Granger," teased Ron, "I thought you were fast!"

"You expect me to beat those gangly legs?" she yelled back, "I can't believe this! We are the luckiest people in the world, you know that!"

They finally reached the ramp as they were pulling it back.

"Whoa!" yelled Harry, "Whoa whoa whoa, wait stop, we're passengers! We're passengers!"

He gave the man the tickets and he looked at them suspiciously.

"Have you been through the inspection queue?"

"Of course. Besides, we don't have any lice, we're English. All of us."

"Right," he said, "Come abroad."

They jumped on, grinning, and kept on running. They ran until thy reached the deck and went to the sides.

"Goodbye!" yelled Harry, leaning over, "Goodbye I'll miss you!"

"You know someone?" frowned Ron.

"Of course not, that's not the point."

Catching on, they joined him and started waving.

"Goodbye," yelled Hermione, "I'll never forget you!"

Harry grinned as he felt the ship move. He could almost feel the propellers as they turned. H watched as the ship slowly sliced through the blue waters, moving away from the shore, and towards London.

Towards home.

:::

"62, 62, 62." the three wandered around the ship, looking for the room written on their tickets.

They turned a corner, and Harry finally saw the number on a gold square.

"Here!" he said, opening the door. Inside were already two men, who looked very surprised to see them. They were two ginger haired men, with identical faces.

The room was small, but not bad for third class. There were 2 bunk beds and a single bed, 5 in total. Hermione nabbed the single bed first chance she got after smiling at the other inhabitants.

"Hi, I'm Harry Potter," he grinned, holding out his hand. The one man slowly took it, looking confused.

"Harry Potter, nice to meet you." he shook the other man's hand, and it's only then that he realised that they were twins. Ron and Hermione had already made themselves comfortable in the beds.

"Who says you get top bunk?" Harry frowned at Ron as he set his bag on the bottom bunk. His home, for the next week.

He lay his head on the pillow smiling, as he heard the one twin turn to the other.

"Where's Ernie?"

:::

"This one?" asked the maid, Luna, as she held up a painting.

"No," said Draco, "No, it had a lot of faces on it." he kept searching the many canvases, until he saw it.

"This is the one," he sighed.

"Would you like all of them up, sir?" she asked.

"Yes," he sighed, "We need a little colour in this room."

"God, not those finger paintings again," drawled Father as he appeared in the doorway, "They certainly were a waste of money."

"The difference between father's taste and mine is that I have some,"Draco told Luna, "They're fascinating." he picked up another painting, gazing at the paint.

"It's like being in a dream or something," he said, mostly to himself, "There's truth but no logic."

"What's the artists name?" she asked, looking over Draco's shoulder.

"Something Picasso," he said waving his hand and taking another canvas.

"Something Picasso." Chuckled Father, "he won't amount to a thing." Draco once again had to fight the urge not to groan.

"He won't, trust me." he said after him. Draco nodded and walked away into his room, knowing that he would have to deal with his insults for over a week out at sea. He wondered how long he would be able to stand it.

At Shear bore, a woman came abroad named Nymphadora Lupin, but evryone just called her Tonks. History would call her the unsinkable Tonks Lupin. She walked in with her expensive dress and big hat, carrying her own bags.

"Well I wasn't about to wait all day for you, sonny." She had said to the bell-man.

Her husband had struck gold far out north and she was what Mother called 'new-money' After that, they were streaming west off the coast of Ireland, with nothing out ahead of them, but ocean.

The workings of a ship had always fascinated Draco. A big mass of iron, gliding on water as if it were nothing. He imagined the captain, Cornelius Fudge, sending orders to different parts of the ship, orchestrating the journey. He pictured the goings on at the bottom of the ship. The men, covered in black coal working to keep them afloat, shoveling coal into the raging furnaces, pumping the boilers, the propellers beating through the water. It was a miracle if Draco ever saw one.

:::

Harry, Ron and Hermione stood on the rails at the bow of the ship. Harry looked at them as they laughed. He doubted any of them had ever smiled this big in their lives. They looked out at the surrounding ocean as the wind blew in their faces.

If Harry closed his eyes and blocked the chatting next to him, he could almost believe that he was flying. What were the chances? A couple of day ago they were wandering the streets of Italy, looking for their next meal, and now they were on the Titanic, the most magnificent ship they had ever laid eyes on. It was a miracle, really.

Harry laughed as Hermione spread her arms, whooping into the wind.

"Look!" yelled Ron, pointing down. They looked to see a dolphin swimming just in front of the ship.

"Look, there's more!" gasped Hermione. And sure enough, the animal was joined by others, racing the Titanic and jumping alongside.

"Look at that one! Look, look at him jump!" yelled Harry, surprised that he was getting excited at a bunch of dolphins.

They laughed as thhey watched them be beautiful, and laughed as they dwindled behind them, and laughed for the sake of laughing.

"I can see London bridge already!" grinned Ron, "It's very small of course."

Thhey laughed at him and stared out at the beautiful sea.

"I'm the King of the world!" yelled Harry, spreading his arms and laughing. Because he was. He really was. He had his best friends and the best luck in the world. What more did he need?

:::

"She is the largest moving object ever made by the hand of man in all history," Mr Gilderoy Lockhart smirked at the table, his hands folded in front of him as he bragged about his ship.

Draco was sitting in the dining area, having tea and cigars with the people he 'needed to know'. There really was no point of him being there, but Father insisted that as the only Malfoy heir, it was imperative that he be always present. As much as he hated to admit it though, talk of the Titanic did fascinate Draco quite a bit. It was just a shame that it had to be with these people. "And our master ship builder Mr. Dumbledore here designed her from the keel plates up."

Albus Dumbledore blushed through his horn rimmed glasses. He really was a sight. He wasn't old, but his white hair and beard could have sworn otherwise. He seemed different from the others rich pansy's here though. He seemed to care more about the ship than the money and publicity it drew.

"I may have knocked her together," he muttered, "but the idea was Mr. Lockhart's."

Mr Lockhart hummed, happy to have the attention on him and his utter brilliance.

"He envisioned a steamer so grand in scale," Dumbledore continued, "and so luxurious in its pointments that it's supremacy be unmatched. And here she is," he grinned, looking around at the ship as a proud father, "willed into solid reality."

Mr. Dumbledore stopped talking and Draco immediately lost interest. He took a pipe from his pocket and lit it, letting the smoke fill his lungs, and willing it to kill him quickly.

"You know I don't like that Draco," his mother whispered, "not in front of them."

Draco glanced at her indifferently, and blew out a ring of smoke into her face. She leaned back, annoyed.

"He knows," sighed Father, giving Draco a look that could shrivel a tree. He delicately snatched the cigarette from his hand and stubbed it out in the ashtray in the middle of the table. Draco had only a moment to feel his annoyance when the waiter came around to take their orders. Draco opened his mouth, but was cut off by father.

"We'll go for the lamb," he told the waiter, "Rare, with very little mint sauce." He gave the waiter a winning smile before he looked over at him. "You like lamb, don't you Draco?"

He was aware that the table was watching him, and despite his urge to tell his father that no, actually, he preferred beef, he went the way of the Malfoy. Draco stretched his lips into an undoubtedly fake smile. It was pathetic, but enough to show father that he was still his perfect little heir. He hadn't noticed Tonks eyeing him until she spoke up. "You gonna cut his meat for him too there, Lucius?" she chuckled.

She hardly withered under the glare he sent her way, and Draco took an instant liking toward her. She gave father another smile before turning to rest of the table.

"Hey, who thought of the name 'Titanic'? Was it you Gill?"

Lockhart sat up, happy to have the attention back on him, "Yes actually. I wanted to convey sheer size. And size means stability, luxury, and above all, strength."

Draco frowned at the pompous man, "Do you know of Doctor Froyde, Mr Lockhart?" he asked, innocently, "His ideas about the male's preoccupation with size, once he gets you your age, might be of particular interest to you."

Tonks laughed openly, winking at Draco, and Dumbledore chuckled into his napkin.

"What had gotten into you?" hissed mother, leaning towards him with her eyes wide.

Draco excused himself and pushed out of his chair.

"I do apologize," he heard his mother say.

"He's quite a handful, Luci," said Tonks, "Can you handle him?"

"Well I'd better mind what he reads from now on, shouldn't I, Mrs. Lupin?" he drawled.

Draco knew that he would have to pay for embarrassing Lucius in front of important people later on, but he couldn't care less at that moment.

"This Froyde, who is he?" he heard Lockhart mutter, "Is he a passenger?"

Draco smirked to himself as he walked out of the doors.

:::

Harry's eyes flicked back and forth from his paper to the father and daughter leaning on the rails. It was rare for him to find such a beautiful picture without even trying. The girl's face was stern in concentration as she held on to every word her father uttered. The man held her up on the rail, pointing to things that Harry couldn't see. His fingers were long and strong, but he held her with the gentleness that can only be found in a father. Harry smiled as he drew them, honoured that he could capture their moment, even if they didn't know.

Ron and Hermione were sitting near him, talking to Fred and George Prewett. They had finally accepted that Ernie and Michael were not coming, and we had become fast friends.

"It's a real nice ship isn't it." Sighed Ron.

"Yea," grinned Fred, "It's an Irish ship."

"I thought it was English!"

"No, fifteen thousand Irish-men built this ship. It's solid as a rock. Big Irish hands."

They were interrupted as 2 men in suites cut across them, sporting very large canines.

George sighed, taking a puff from his cigarette, "That's typical. First class dogs come down here to take a shite," he muttered.

"Let's us know where we rank in the scheme of things," Harry replied, shaking his head.

"Like we could forget." Chuckled George. He glanced at the pad on Harry's lap and raised his eyebrows, looking impressed, "Do you make any money with your drawings?"

Harry opened my mouth to answer, but his eyes flicked behind them, and the words got lost in his throat. On the deck above them, a man walked towards the rails. He slung his arms over the side, in a way that was almost too elegant to be human. His white blonde hair seemed to reflect in the sunlight and blew softly over his face. He wore a light green suit, one that could be on the cover of a French magazine. His face bore straight features, and Harry could tell that he was trying to suppress some emotion. Anger? Sadness? He didn't know, but he seemed deeply troubled.

George must have realised that Harry was no longer listening to him, because he turned to see what I was staring at. When h saw, he nudged Fred with a grin, and they watched Harry stare.

"He's beautiful," he whispered. Th twins saw the man, and then looked back at Harry. Catching on, they chuckled,

"Oh, forget it boy-o." sighed Fred.

"Yea," nodded George, "You'd as likely have angels flying out your arse than getting next to the likes of him."

Harry knew that they were right, but still, he couldn't stop staring.

The man in the balcony must have sensed him looking because he glanced down, and looked straight at Harry. He looked away after half a second, deeming him unimportant, but then his eyes found Harry's again. They lingered longer before he returned to looking straight out to sea.

Harry kept staring, he couldn't help it, and then another man appeared. He wore a gray suit, and had long hair, exactly the colour of the other's. Because of the striking resemblance, Harry concluded that it was his father. The father grabbed the man by the elbow, and his head snapped to glare at his father. The father said something quietly that caused the son to spit out a response and glide away from the rail, disappearing back into the doors. Harry blinked as Ron waved a hand over his face. Hermione laughed from his other side.

"Are you quite finished Harry?" she asked

"Finished what?" he shrugged, turning back to his drawing, but he could no longer concentrate. He looked back up to the deck, but both father and son were gone.

"Who was that?" he asked no one in particular.

"Never you mind who it is," sighed Ron, dragging from his cigarette, "He's first class. Forget about it."

"I was just asking," Harry defended, "I'm not going to do anything."

"Of course not," sighed Hermione, "You know I always tell you that nothing is impossible, Harry, but that right there," she pointed to the deck where he stood, "is impossible."

"Oh come on!" Harry yelled, "I know all that! I was just looking!"

"You were not 'just looking'" grinned Ron, "I know that look anywhere."

"Because it's the same way you look at Hermione when she's not paying attention?" Harry hissed quietly. Ron turned red, and backed off, getting the message.

"But then again," he cleared his throat, "He was just looking."

Hermione frowned at them, curious as to what they were whispering about.

Harry shook my head at her, and returned to his drawing, but somehow, his eyes wandered back to the above deck. I heard the twins laugh and make kissing noises when they saw him looking. Harry threw a stone at them, feigning annoyance, when actually he was grateful for them.

After all, not many people didn't have a problem with guys mooning over other guys. Ron and Hermione were fine with Harry being gay. They had known him for years, and accepted him without a problem, but it wasn't so for most people. And some people were personally insulted by the fact that he refused to hide his sexuality.

Not that he cared much about them at all. But still, the fact that Fred and George didn't seem to care warmed Harry's heart. And with a warm heart, he looked to the empty deck one more time, vowing to see that beautiful man again.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a beautiful dining hall. It seemed to be redecorated for every meal. The music never stopped. The waiters never delayed. The food was top class. The Champaign was marvellous.

Draco was so lucky. He had all of this. All these luxuries. All these advantages. He was heir to one of the largest fortunes on this ship. He had it all.

And he hated it.

To his right, his mother was chattering away with one Rita Skeeter. They discussed the latest fashion in France comparison to that in Italy as if it would solve world hunger. To his left, his father and Horace Slughorn were talking about the quality of the new sports car engines, and whether it was strong enough, considering it was built by such undereducated swine.

All around Draco, people were talking, laughing delicately. Enjoying the joy their money brought them. Draco stared down at his plate. Why couldn't he be like that? Why couldn't he be happy with all he had? Why didn't he care about any of this?

He had all the money he could ever want in the world, but after 17 years of living like this, he knew that it had nothing to do with being happy. Draco remembered something from earlier that day when he had been out on the deck. A group of five friends had been sitting on some benches.

They had seemed so carefree, so content. So happy. They had been very obviously third class, what with their dull clothing and rugged appearances. There was black man with his daughter, who had seemed so proud and strong. Even though he was probably penniless, he had seemed rich in a way Draco could not understand. The twin men with ginger hair had been laughing and shoving at each other as if they didn't have a care in the world.

The girl with the bushy hair had been sitting on the edge of the bench, relaxed and laughing. Draco had grown up knowing that women were to be neat, presentable, upright and delicate. This girl was none of these things, but she had a smile that Draco had never seen in any of the supposedly more advantaged girls he knew.

And the red headed boy. The one who looked at her as if she was the sun the moon and the stars, all put together. He talked loudly and laughed loudly and expressed himself loudly. So different to the reserved, quiet, behavior that Draco had grown up knowing.

And then, the other man. The one with the dark, unruly hair. The one with the piercing green eyes that could be seen across a ship. The one who had been staring at Draco.

In one word, the boy was beautiful, and all Draco had wanted to do was stare back. But of course, he hadn't. He had looked away after a second, because as a man, he wasn't to stare at other men. But despite himself, he had risked another glance. And he was still staring.

Did he not care that that was not allowed? That looking at Draco like that was not socially acceptable? Did he not care? No, he didn't. And he was all the happier because of it. Why couldn't Draco be like that?

He saw my whole life as if he had already lived it. An endless parade of parties and cotillions, yachts and polo matches. Always the same narrow people. The same mindless chatter. Draco felt like he was standing at a great precipice, with no one to pull him back. No one who cared, or even noticed.

Suddenly, the room around him seemed to be shrinking, the walls closing around him. The lights were spinning, and his breath caught in his throat, choking him. His head snapped up, his breath coming in slight pants.

Draco excused himself from the table, not that anyone heard him. He walked out of the dining hall, trying his hardest to keep his back straight, keep his walk steady, his look firm, just as he had been trained to do. The walk to the door felt like the longest in his life.

The doors were opened for him and he stepped out, greeted by the cool fresh air. He had expected it to calm him, to soothe him, but instead, the fresh air felt like a taunting slap, reminding him of what he was missing. What he would never have. The cold stung his eyes, and he rubbed at them, and found them to be wet. Draco stared at his hands and marvelled at the drops of tears he found there. As he stared at the tears, he realised that conversations where happening around him, and for some reason, he heard his name.

"Oh look, it's Draco Malfoy! Such a lucky boy. He's receiving his father's estate you now. All of it! Yes _Lucius_ Malfoy, that's his father. Oh, all that money, he must be so happy..."

"Yes," whispered another woman on his other side, "that's why he's going back to London. He's getting married you know! The money is his as soon as he says 'I do'."

"Yes, he is the sole heir after all. He must be so happy!"

The breath in Draco's throat froze, choking him. He realised that he was shaking, and his cheeks were warming with even more tears. He breathed in choked pants.

How dare they assume he was happy? How could they even begin to think that money was all he wanted? Was this all there was to these people? Money and weddings and estates and diamonds? Was this all there was for Draco?

A hand touched his arm, and he whipped around to see a little girl.

"Are you alright sir?" She asked him in a small voice, curtsying. Draco stumbled away from her, trying to hide his face. As he moved, he fell into a couple. The woman yelped at his lack of grace. Draco stumbled up, unable to even mutter an apology. He looked up and it seemed that everyone had seen him. Seen him in his weakness and tears.

Draco breathed heavily, trying to straighten up, and failing miserably. And so he did all h could do.

He ran.

He turned to the stairs and he ran as fast as he could. He didn't remember when his tears turned into sobs, or why. But it happened. He cried as he ran through the ship. Not caring that he was running into people, shoving them aside. He didn't even know why he was running, or where he was running to.

Draco reached the lowest deck, gripping onto a thick pole and catching his breath. His vision was slightly blurred by the tears pouring out of his eyes. He leaned over the pole, breathing heavily and trying to control his sobs. He looked up, and saw that he was at the Stern of the ship, and all that was in front of him was ocean. He let go of the pole and walked slowly towards the edge of the ship. He gripped onto the railing, staring out at the black sea.

Draco looked around behind him. He was completely alone. Without so much as giving it a thought, he stepped up onto the first rail. He held onto the pole as he ascended, and gripped onto the hanging rope as he swung his one leg over the rail, and then the other one. Within seconds, he was on the other side of the railing. He turned so that he was facing the sea and nothing else.

Shaking, and his breath still coming out in whimpering gasps, he stretched out his arms, leaning further out of the boat. This was it. He was finally going to end it. He was no longer going to live the life that had been set out for him since birth. He was going to-

"Don't do it."

Draco gasped, turning to the voice behind him.

"Stay back," he gasped, "Don't come any closer." His voice was raw from crying, and he hated sounding so weak.

"Come on," the voice said, coming closer despite Draco's instructions, "Just give me your hand, I'll pull you back over."

"No!" he was messing up Draco's plan, "Stay where you are! I mean it. I'll let go."

Draco turned back to the water, leaning over. He glanced over his shoulder to see the man still standing there. He brought his cigarette to his lips, taking a drag and blowing out. He gestured throwing the cigarette overboard, and taking tentative steps toward the edge, he flicked it over. He put his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth on his heels, looking at Draco.

"No you won't." He said.

Draco's head snapped towards him, "What do mean 'no I won't'? Don't presume to tell me what I will and will not do. You don't know me!"

"Well," he shrugged, "You would have done it already."

Draco frowned at the stranger. "You're distracting me, go away!" he returned to leaning away from the rail.

"I can't," he sighed, "I'm involved now. You let go and I'm gonna have to jump in there after you." Draco stared in confusion as he took his jacket off.

"Don't be absurd," he said, as he unlaced his shoes, "You'll be killed.

"I'm a good swimmer," he shrugged.

"The fall alone would kill you."

He took off his shoe and sighed, "It would hurt. I'm not saying it wouldn't. To tell you the truth I'm a lot more concerned about that water being so cold."

Draco looked out at the water, which all of a sudden did not seem so inviting. He glanced at the man taking off his other shoe. "How cold?"

"Freezing. Maybe a couple of degrees over."

Draco gulped, glancing down at the water again. The man straightened up, still looking at him, "You ever er," he said, "You ever been to Cheshire?"

Draco frowned at the seemingly random question, "What?"

"Well, they have some of the coldest winters around. I grew up there near Godrics Hollow. I remember when I was a kid, me and my father, we went ice fishing near the Black lake. Ice fishing is you know, where you-"

"I know what Ice fishing is!" Draco snapped.

"Sorry," he said, holding up his hands, "You just, you know, seem like kind of an indoor guy. Anyway, I fell through some thin ice, and I'm telling you, water that cold, like right down there," he gestured at the ocean. "It hits like a thousand knives, stabbing you all over your body. You can't breathe, you can't think. At least not about anything but the pain."

Draco looked out at the water again, except this time, with a look of wariness. He glanced at the man, who had somehow gotten a lot closer to him. He returned his gaze to the icy water below, and leaned back slightly, recoiling from the blackness. It was then that he realised that he was shaking. Whether from the cold or the sudden realisation at what he was planning to do, he didn't know. The man sighed next Draco, as he removed his vest.

"Which is why I'm not looking forward to jumping in there after you. But like I said, I don't have a choice."

At this point, he was standing right next to Draco, looking quite sheepish. "I guess I'm kinda hoping you'll come back over the rail and get me off the hook here."

Draco looked at him, his eyes hesitant, flicking from him to the ocean. He frowned, coming to his senses. He wouldn't let this man distract him. He had to do this.

"You're crazy," he muttered, stretching his shaking arms and leaning over the ship.

"That's what everybody says but, with all due respect sir, I'm not the one hanging off the back of a ship here." A silence followed. Draco closed his eyes, his jaw clenched, "Come on," he said, "just give me your hand. You don't wanna do this."

Draco wanted to be angry with him, to shout at him, to tell him that he had no clue what he was talking about. But he didn't. Because he was right.

Despite myself, he gave in. He let go of the railing with his right hand and crossed it over his body. His was ready and he gripped Draco's trembling hand tightly. A relieved sighed left his lips as Draco turned.

He lifted my eyes to see the man's face, and for the first time, Draco realised that this was the same man from earlier. The one with the unkempt hair. The one with the piercing green eyes. The happy one. The beautiful one.

"I'm Harry Potter." He said, smiling.

"Draco Abraxas Malfoy," he replied in a shaking voice.

"I may have to get you to write that one down," he chuckled. Draco let out a short bark of shaky laughter. He couldn't remember the last time he had laughed, and the fact that his first time was right after an attempted suicide made him question his own sanity.

"Come on," smiled Harry Potter, and Draco stepped up onto the first rail.

Now, Draco didn't know if it was the humidity that made the rail slippery, or his expensive slick shoes that had no grip, or the fact that his entire body was trembling. But one second he was stepping, and the next, he was falling. He let out a scream as he felt his feet fail from under him. Suddenly, he jerked up from his free fall, and looking up, he realised that Harry Potter had not let go of his hand.

Draco screamed again as he felt a slip, but he grabbed onto his other hand.

"Come on," he yelled, trying to pull him up. He swung his leg to grip onto something, but the surface of the ship was smooth and wet, and he only slipped further. He screamed as he felt himself fall again.

"Help me!" Draco yelled, "Please help!"

He could feel the tears returning but he was too scared to be embarrassed.

He thrashed around, trying to keep steady but failing horribly.

"Look at me. Listen! Listen to me!" yelled Harry. Draco looked up at him, and for a moment all he saw was those green eyes, staring down at him from the back of a ship.

"I've got you," he said, "I won't let go."

Draco gulped, still hypnotised by those eyes. He nodded, breathing heavily.

"Now pull yourself up, come on!"

Draco did as he said and gripped the rail with his other hand. He pulled himself up as Harry did, and eventually, he was pulling Draco over the railing. He fell over onto the solid deck, shaking and gasping.

Harry was on top of him, holding himself up as he looked down at him. He opened his mouth to speak when they heard a voice behind him.

"What's all this?" Harry got up and turned, still on his knees. It was then that Draco realised what a sight this was. A lowly third class member who was on top of one of the richest heirs on the ship.

The trio of so called police-men looked over the situation and immediately turned on Harry.

"You stay back, and don't move an inch!" one of them yelled, "Fetch the Master as Arms."

:::

Well, it wasn't the first time Harry had been put into handcuffs.

Living life as he did, run ins with the police was not a shocking thing. But it was understandably his first time getting arrested for saving someone's life. There he had been, lying on a bench and contemplating life, when a sobbing mess of a man came running past.

It didn't take a second guess to know that it was him. The beautiful one from the deck. The luminescent hair and his pale skin were unmistakeable, even as he was running. Harry had followed him, but finding him hanging off the back of the boat was not what he had expected to find.

He looked now at him, covered in a blanket and being offered a cup of coffee. Harry didn't think he realised exactly what he was doing until it almost happened. He had never seen such fear in a single persons face.

His eyes had looked at Harry, scared and slightly shocked. It was then that he noticed that they were grey. Extremely grey. Almost silver. And beautiful. Very beautiful. Harry realised that mulling over the beauty of his eyes while he was hanging on for his life was not the wisest thing for him to do. That could wait till after he had saved him.

But the moment had been interrupted by well meaning, misunderstanding police men. And of course, Draco Abraxas Malfoy's father.

"Completely unacceptable!" he spat at Harry, "What made you think you could try and rob _my_ son?"

Harry glanced at Draco, who was staring into his mug.

"Look at _me_ , you filth!"

"Father," said Draco.

"What do you think you were doing?" he gripped Harry's collar, shaking him.

"Father!" Draco stood up, "Father, stop! It was an accident."

"An-an accident?" He scoffed, raising an eyebrow.

"It was. Stupid really. I was leaning over and I slipped." Harry almost laughed at his obvious lie.

"I was leaning far over," he continued, looking at Harry, "To see the er, um, er the er..."

"Propellers?" offered the Father.

"Propellers! And I slipped! And I would've gone overboard, but Mr. Potter here saved me, and almost went over himself."

"The propellers. He wanted to see the propellers." Repeated the father, more to the rest of their company that to himself.

"Like I say," said a large man holding a glass of wine, "Youngsters and machinery do not mix."

"Was that the way of it?" asked the man behind Harry. He looked at Draco and saw his face, pleading with him to agree.

"Yea." he said, "Yea that was pretty much it."

"Well the boy's a hero then!" chuckled the man. "Good for you son, well done. Well, it's all well and back to our brandy eh? Ha ha." The man smiled as he waddled back to the first class side of the boat.

Harry looked at Draco, trying to suppress an amused smile, and he sent a whisper of a smirk in Harry's direction.

His hands were uncuffed and the attention was promptly removed from him.

"Look at you," cooed a blonde woman, rubbing Draco's arms, "You must be freezing. Let's get you inside."

She wrapped her arm around him and turned to walk away. The Father gave Harry a cold look up and down and followed them.

The round man with the glass cleared his throat, "Perhaps a little something for the boy?"

Lucius Malfoy turned, and gave the man a look of cold amusement, "Of course," and then turned to the black haired man who had been following them like a dodgy shadow,"Mr. Snape, I think a 20 should do it."

Harry heard Draco scoff, not turning around, "Is that the going rate for saving the heir to your name?"

The Father looked at him haughtily, "Draco is displeased," he drawled mockingly, "What to do?"

He walked over to Harry slowly, coming very close. Harry was pleased to discover that he wasn't all that much taller than him.

"Perhaps you could join us for dinner tomorrow evening? To regale our group with your heroic tale."

Harry could see the taunting in his eyes, the disdain of his status. But then he thought about the mediocre meals they received down in third class, and then to the idea of large steaming dishes full of rice and lamb stew. And more importantly, the prospect of sitting at a table across from Draco Malfoy.

"Sure. Count me in."

"Good." Lucius turned around and walked with the whale, "This should be interesting," he said quietly, obviously intending for Harry to hear.

Draco looked at him once for a few seconds, and then turned around and walked back to first class with the rest of them. The shadow, Snape, was walking quite a few feet behind them, and Harry whistled so only he heard. He stopped and turned around, slowly and stiffly. He looked at Harry with challenging black eyes, as if wondering if he had really had the gall to whistle at him.

"Can I er, bum a smoke?" Harry asked him. Snape paused, and then walked over to him. He was stiff in his walk, and yet his coat billowed behind him. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed them to Harry. He took two, putting one in him mouth and the other behind his ear.

"You'll want to tie those," he said, in a deep drawl, glancing at his boots with disdain.

"It's interesting," he said "That the young man slipped so suddenly and yet you had time to remove your jacket and your shoes."

He looked down his rather long nose and turned, walking back the way the rest of them had come.

For a while, Harry stood there, watching the first class crew walk back to their dining hall. And slowly, a grin spread across his face. It was still there when he walked into the crowded cabin that was temporarily his home. I was greeted by the rambunctious laughter that was very common on this corridor.

"Greetings all." He grinned, "How are all my second favourite people?"

"What's up with the grin?" said Fred, waggling his eyebrows.

"Why are you half undressed?" questioned Hermione, frowning.

" _Second_ favourite?" frowned Ron crossing his arms.

"Yes, Ron, second." Sighed Harry as he flopped onto his bed. "My first favourite is one Draco Abraxus Malfoy."

The others blinked at him, and then George tilted his head, "Malfoy," he said slowly, "Why do I know that name?"

"Well he's only one of the richest passengers on this ship," scoffed Hermione, as if it was obvious, "But wait.. no that's _Lucius_ Malfoy. And I can't imagine _him_ being your favourite person. He's an absolute prick. Who's this Draco."

"Lucius Malfoy's son." grinned Harry, "I'm sure you remember him. White blonde hair? Green suit? Standing at the deck this afternoon? Most handsome man in the world?"

The others chuckled at him, "Well there you go then," laughed Ron, "The guy you were mooning over is heir to a fortune. All the more reason to just forget about him."

"Now why would I do that?" smirked Harry, "When I have a date with him tomorrow."

The room filled with silence for a long time, and then exploded with loud questions.

"A date?"

"Are you joking?"

" _Malfoy_?"

"A _date_?"

"You're joking!"

Harry just grinned at their yelling, and turned in his bed, bidding them a goodnight that they didn't even hear. He didn't bother telling them that the word 'date' was very loose in this case. Or that there would be a lot more people on it. Or that it was only happening because Draco Malfoy had tried to jump off the ship.

He just smiled and settled into bed. He had to get his sleep. After all, tomorrow, he had a date.


	3. Chapter 3

It was very strange how things changed so suddenly. Not an hour ago, Draco had been in the dining hall. 10 minutes after that he was hanging off the back of a ship, ready to let go, and now... now here he was, showered, dressed, fed, and sitting in front of his vanity.

A tune was playing from the music box his mother had given me, and Draco just looked at himself. Really, looked at himself.

There he was, heir to the largest fortune on this ship, and he was utterly miserable.

and then he had met a beautiful man whose eyes almost made him forget his misery.

Almost.

Perhaps Harry Potter shouldn't have saved him.

Harry Potter.

The man had not left Draco's mind since he had last seen him, and he didn't know what to think. He had saved his life. What more was there to think?

Draco's thoughts were interrupted when the door opened, revealing his father. For a while he just stood by the doorway, and Draco ignored him.

"I know you've been melancholy," he said, "I don't pretend to know why."

He looked at his father through the mirror.

"I intended to save this until the engagement gala next week," said Lucius, walking into the room and to Draco's chair. He was carrying a decorated wooden box. He sat on the desk and closed the music box, abruptly cutting off the song.

"But I thought, tonight." He opened the box, and revealed a ring on which a deep blue stone cut in the shape of a heart was embedded.

"Good gracious," Draco gasped with wide eyes. No, it couldn't be.

"Perhaps as a reminder," continued Lucius, "Of our wealth."

"Is it a-"

"Diamond?" he interrupted, "Yes," he smirked "56 carats to be exact. It was worn by Slytherin the 16th. It was called Le Coa De La Mere.

"The heart of the ocean." Draco whispered.

"The heart of the ocean, yes." Smiled my father.

Draco stared at the ring. It was customary for a father to give his heir a ring to symbolize the passing on of the family wealth and name. Usually, it was done when the heir married and bore children. And usually it was passed on, from father to son to son to son. This... this was new, and Draco had no idea what to think of it.

"It's overwhelming," he said, once he realized that Lucius was expecting him to say something.

"Well it's royalty." smiled Lucius, "We are royalty Draco." He took the ring out of its box and slipped onto the pinky finger of Draco's right hand. After a moment, Lucius smiled at Draco and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Draco was left in a heavy silence, almost as heavy as the stone on his finger. He stared at the marvelous diamond. It was extraordinarily beautiful. The dim light reflected off the cut sides, casting a dull blue glow onto his face. He didn't know how long he stared, but soon, he realized that he wasn't breathing. He took in a shuddering breathe and let it out slowly. The heaviness of the ring weighed on his finger as well as his heart. Not for the first time, he wondered what was wrong with him. Every other man on thiis ship would be delighted to be gifted with a 56 carat diamond just for existing.

Why did it make Draco want to ruin to the hills and never come back?

Why did it make him want to scream and rant and tear off his expensive clothes and throw up the expensive food?

Not long ago, he had been ready to pitch himself off the back of a ship into the freezing ocean.

Why?

He tore the ring off and stood, taking several steps away from it.

Why did the idea of a blue diamond suffocate him, but the memory of emerald eyes fascinate him?

Why couldn't he be excited about marrying the beautiful Daphne Greengrass, yet crave to see the face of Harry Potter again?

Even if it meant going back to hanging off the back of the ship?

Why couldn't he stop thinking about him?

Was it because he had saved Draco's life?

Yea, definitely. That's it. He was feeling guilty for just walking away like that.

 _I'll thank him,_ Draco promised himself. Tomorrow.

He'd thank Harry Potter, and then he would go on about his wealthy, horrible life, without images of emerald eyes haunting him.

:::

 _This is a bad idea._ Draco kept thinking to himself as he walked through the cramped space between the rooms of third class. Twice already he had turned back, deciding that a thank you wasn't all that necessary. And both times, he had stopped abruptly, mentally slapped himself, turned around, and carried on through steerage.

He had received his fair share of strange looks from other passengers. A young boy had even stopped dead in his tracks, looked him up and down, and ran to his father.

Perhaps he was improperly dressed. Draco lifted his hands to fix his tie. Again. But he let them drop. Again. He had to stop fussing about stupid things. Why did he even care? He shook my head, and kept going.

He didn't even know _where_ he was going. Where he lived. This was absolutely, impossibly stupid. Out of all the foolish, ridiculous-

"Drago?"

His head whipped around. A few meters behind his on the narrow corridor, stood a gangly red headed man with a woman whose bushy hair was contained in a messy ponytail.

They were Harry Potter's friends from the deck.

"It's 'Draco', Ron," said the girl, "Not Drago." She rolled her eyes and came over to him.

"Hello Draco," she smiled, extending her hand, "I'm Hermione. Harry's friend. That's how we know your name. He keeps talking about you."

"Let the man breathe Hermione," chuckled the red head, "Hi. Are you looking for Harry? Of course you're looking for Harry, why else would you be in third class? Unless you aren't looking for Harry... are you looking for Harry?"

The girl... Hermione, sighed exasperated at the boy's babble.

"Uh, yes." Draco cleared his throat, "I was. Looking for Harry, I mean."

The man smiled, "Alright then, allow us to escort you." He smiled at his Hermione, "that sounded posh, didn't it." Hermione rolled her eyes, letting out a laugh.

They turned, and hesitantly, Draco followed

As Draco walked through steerage, he had never felt more like an outsider than he did right then.

In first class, children were proper. They bowed and curtsyed in greeting, and the adults nodded and shook hands and smiled small smiles and talked about politics.

Down here, children ran around, bumping into everyone and everything as if they had been raised in the wilderness. And they laughed. They laughed so much. In the five minute walk, Draco heard more laughter than he had on the whole trip in First Class.

There was no hand shaking here. There was hugging and slapping backs, and slapping... bottoms. As if it were nothing. The ladies ran around as much as the men, not giving a damn if their dresses flew up, showing their knees.

Draco's mother would be appalled, and the thought made him want to smile.

Finally, the three reached a door. Ron and Hermione had been whispering and casting back glances at Draco while he looked around in fascination.

He looked so lost, it was adorable.

The two walked into a room, and Draco waited outside, until Ron frowned at him.

"Well what are you waiting for, an invitation?"

Drao blinked, "Well... yes."

Ron frowned at him, "You posh folk are strange." he shook his head, "Come in then."

Still hesitant, Draco stepped into the room, where he saw the ginger twins sitting on a bed with a deck of cards, and a lump on another bed covered up in blankets.

Did they all sleep here? The room was smaller than Draco's bathroom.

Draco knew that he was being stared at, the twins having abandoned their game to gape at him.

"How do you do?" nodded Draco.

The pair looked at each other, and then back at him confused.

"I think he's saying hello, right Fred?"

"Is that how posh people say hello?" Fred blinked and then grinned, "Wicked."

George grinned back, "Around here, we just say hello," he said to Draco.

"Oh leave him alone," Hermione slapped their shoulders, and then went to thee lump on the bed, "Uh Harry?" she said, poking at the lump.

"Wha-" he heard a mumble, '"Go away it's early."

"uh... Hrarry," Hermione prodded, "You need to wake up."

"I don't want to-" he whined.

"But... but Harry. Someone's here to see you."

"Tell 'em to come back at a decent time-" he mumbled again, not caring that it was already 10 in the morning

Draco swallowed "It's alright really," he told Hermione, "I will come back later."

Not surprisingly, when Harry hear that voice, his eyes snapped open inder the covers. He shot up, almost bumping into Hermione as he did.

Draco's mouth fell open in shock when he saw Harry Potter staring up at him, his hair even messier than usual, half his face pressed with pillow marks, and squinting through the lack of his glaces.

"Draco?" he blinked dumbly.

Draco cleared his throat, "Uh, yes. I'm sorry to have woken you I just came to... I came to... never mind, it's fine."

He made to turn around, but Harry shouted out, "Wait!" he scrambled out of his bed, getting tangled in the covers and falling hard on the floor.

He didn't seem to care, "Wait, just give me a second, I'll be right out"

Draco blinked wide eyes at the struggling bundle on the floor, "Uh.. alright. Alright, I'll just be outside."

Draco quickly shuffled out of the room, followed by a smirking Hermione.

As soon as they were out and the door was shut, Draco heard bursts of loud laughter, and Harry's voice yelling at them to shut up.

Hermione smiled up at Draco, looking at him up and down.

He was used to being watched, but not like this.

"You have very nice clothes," said Hermione.

Draco looked down at his suit. It was cream coloured and had been tailored for him for his seventeenth birthday. It had three pieces, but he had left the blazer in his quarters, deciding it was far too hot for it.

"Thank you," he nodded at her. He wanted to return the compliment, but Hermione's dress was a dark red with a frayed hem and a few visible holes.

"You... look very nice too." he tried.

He wasn't necessarily lying. She was remarkably beautiful, if only she could keep her hair under control.

She laughed, "Thank you. You know, I have the strange urge to courtsey around you," she said, "Like you're a prince or something."

"Oh no, please don't." Draco shook his head, "I'm no prince. Just a Lord."

Hermione burst out laughing at that, "Just a Lord. Of course." she shook her her head, "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Lord Malfoy. I'm Hermione Granger." She held out her hand, and laughed even harder when Draco bowed to kiss it, "My goodness, you're as proper as they come!"

Draco blinked, "Do you not do that?"

"When I meet a lad, he'll usually try to kiss my arse rather than my hand. I must say I prefer this a lot more."

Draco gaped at her vulgar language. A lady would never speak like this on his side of the boat. He had to say,he preferred this a lot more.

"So I've heard quite a bit about you, Lord Malfoy." She put emphasis on'Lord', and grinned when she saw Draco make a face at the Title.

"Like what?" he said nervously. Harry wouldn't have told them about the... incident, would he?

Hermione shrugged, "Oh, just that you have white blonde hair and pretty silver eyes." she batted her eyelashes dramatically, "That's why Harry's still sleeping. He was up all night talking about your white blonde hair and pretty silver eyes."

Draco blinked, surprised when he felt his face heating up. He couldn't held but wonder when Harry had stopped to notice his 'pretty silver eyes' while he was hanging off the back of a boat.

It was when he was thinking this when the door opened, and Harry came out, awake and dressed. His hair was slightly wet, as if he had splashed some water on it in an attempt to tame it.

It obviously hadn't worked at all.

When Harry walked out and saw Draco's pink cheeks and Hermione's huge shark like grin, he narrowed his eyes at her.

"What did you say?" he hissed. He turned back to Draco, "Whatever she said, she lied."

Hermione just laughed, "Sure. Of course." She winked at Draco, and then went back into the room, "Alright boys, see you later, bye!" she shut the door behind her, leaving Harry and Draco standing in the hallway.

Harry cleared his throat, "Well. Shall we?"

The initial awkwardness didn't last long at all. The trek through third class wasn't as uncomfortable for Draco now that Harry was walking with him. They walked through the ship and up and around the deck, all the while talking.

"Well, I've been on my own since I was 11," said Harry, "That's when my parents died."

"How did they die?" asked Draco, before kicking himself, "I'm sorry, that was-"

"No it's alright," Harry smiled, "They were killed by Tom Riddle."

Draco's eyes widened, "The notorious serial killer that terrorized Britain for decades?"

Harry nodded, "That's the one. Anyway, I had to leave Godric's Hollow after that, since I had no brothers or sisters or close kin in that part, so I lit on out of there and I haven't been back since. I met Ron and Hermione a little while after that. They're basically my family now. It's a lot easier wondering the world when you've got family with you. You could just call us tumbleweeds blowing in the wind."

Draco smiled at that. It was strange hearing about Harry. It was strange thinking that there were people who had grown up so vastly differently than he.

"Well Draco," Harry said, pulling him out of his thoughts, "We've walked about a mile of this boat deck, chewed over how great the weather's been, and talked about how I grew up. But I don't reckon that's why you came to see me, is it."

Draco took a breath, "Well, Mr. Potter-"

"It's Harry."

He nodded, "Harry. I... I wanted to thank you for what you did. Not just for... for pulling me back, but for your discretion."

Harry smiled, "You're welcome."

Draco nodded. That's all he had wanted to say, but he found himself carrying on.

"Look, I know what you must be thinking." he shook his head at himself, "Poor little rich boy. What does he know about misery?"

"No," Harry said immediately, "No. What I was thinking was, what could have happened to this man to make him think that there was no way out?"

Draco blinked at him, swallowing. It was the eyes that got him. Those eyes that seemed to look so far into him that there was no point hiding anything anyway.

"It was everything," Draco found himself breathing out, "My whole life and everyone it it. And the inertia of my life. Just plunging ahead and me... powerless to stop it."

He took another breath, "I'm to marry Daphne Greengrass as soon as we arrive in London, and when I do I will take over as Lord Malfoy and be cemented to a life that I don't want."

"Lord Malfoy, huh?"

Draco nodded, "I've already been bestowed the honour," he held out his hand, showing the ring his father had given him the night before."

"Merlin!" Harry gasped, "Look at the size of that thing! You would have gone straight to the bottom."

Draco scoffed, shaking his head, "All of London society will be there. To see me become a man. And all the while.. I feel like I'm screaming in the middle of a crowded room and no one even looks up."

Harry stayed silent for a while, just looking aat Draco. Draco looked back, blinking, not quite believing he had said so much, and waiting for Harry's reaction.

"Daphne Greengrass, huh."

He nodded.

"Do you love her?"

Draco's head snapped up, blinking, "Pardon me?"

Harry tilted her head, "Do you love her?"

Draco's mouth fell open. No one had ever asked him this before, "You.. you're being very rude."

"Well it's a simple question," Harry shrugged, "You're about to give up any little type of freedom you've got for this girl. You should at least love her, right?"

Draco couldn't quite belive this. He laughed nervously, "This.. this is not a suitable conversation!"

"Well why can't you just answer the question? Harry was trying not to smile. The bastard was enjoying this!

"This is absurd!" Draco exclaimed straightening himself up, "You don't know me, and I don't know you, and we are _not_ having this conversation!" Harry just smirked, "You are rude and uncouth and presumptuous and... and I am leaving now!"

Draco grabbed Harry's hand and shook it. Quite angrily.

"Harry. _Mr Potter_. I sought you out to thank you, and now I have thanked you."

"And you've insulted me."

He scoffed, "Well... you deserved it!"

"Right."

"Right!" Draco said, with finality in his voice. How dare he? This rude, insufferable _low class_ unbelievably presumptuous little-

"I thought you were leaving."

Draco's eyes flared, "Oh, I am!" he let go of Harry's hand, which he had somehow still been shaking.

He spun around angrily, and then stopped.

He huffed back, "You are so annoying!"

Harry just grinned at him. Draco glared.

"Wait. I'm not going anywhere, this is my part of the ship! _You_ leave!"

"Oh ho ho," Harry laughed, " _Now_ who's being rude?"

Draco just gaped at this insufferable man. He didnt know how to reply. No one had ever dared to speak to a Malfoy this way, and now here was this lowly third class man saying whatever the hell he wanted, and Draco didn't know how to reply.

So he deflected. He grabbed the rectangular bag like thing under Harry's arm.

"What is this stupid thing you've been carrying around anyway?" he said with a huff. He opened it, hoping to irritate Harry. But he just watched him with a smile. Draco glared at the thing in his hand, which he now saw was a sketchpad.

"So what are you, an artist or something?" He looked through more sheets, going slower as he went on.

He blinked at the drawings. "Well... there are rather good."

The more he looked, the greater the drawing became. Draco made to sit on a deck chair, his earlier anger fading.

"They're very good actually." he muttered, studying the drawing more carefully. He felt Harry sit down next to him.

"Harry, this is exquisite work."

"Well, they didn't think much of them in old Paree." said Harry.

"Paris?" Draco blinked, "Well, you do get around for a poor-" he stopped, "Uh... I mean a, a person of... limited means-"

Harry just chuckled, "Go on, I'm a poor guy. You can say it."

Draco smiled and looked back down.

"Wow." he kept saying. He came across a drawing of a nude woman laying on what seemed to be a velvet sheet.

"And... these were drawn from life?" Draco couldn't help but ask.

Harry nodded, "That's one of the best parts about Paris," he said with a grin," A lot of women are willing to take their clothes off."

Draco chuckled as he kept looking.

"You like this woman," he noticed, "You used her several times."

"Well, she had beautiful hands, you see." said Harry.

Draco smiled "I think you must have had an affair with her."

Harry laughed, "No no no no no. Just with her hands. She wasn't quite my type, you see."

Draco scorted, "you have a type, do you?"

Harry didn't say anything for a long time. He just looked at Draco, and no matter how much he tried, Draco couldn't look away. Harry smiled, "I do."

Those two simple words, made Draco's face flush again, and the way he was looking at him...

He snapped his head away, looking back at the sketch pad and swallowing.

"You... you have a gift Harry," he said, "You... you see people."

"I see you," Harry nodded.

Draco smiled, straightening up, "And?"

Harry shrugged softly, "You wouldn't have jumped."

The smile on Draco's face faded away in favour of a scowl.

What a rude bastard.

:::

It didn't take long for Draco to get over the fact that this Harry Potter was as uncouth as any person he had ever met. He threatened to leave a few more times that day, but every time, he stayed.

They walked around the deck a few more times, finally resting at the highest deck, looking out at the ocean. Draco was surprised to see that the sun had already begun to set.

"And then after Los Angeles we worked on a Squid Boat." said Harry. He had been telling Draco of all his adventures with Ron and Hermione, and Draco was enthralled, "Ron and I worked fixing the boat every time something broke. Which was a lot. Hermione was the maid of the Ship Captains wife. After the boat docked, we went to Scotland, to this beautiful village called Hogsmead. That's the longest we've ever stayed in one place. There was this magnificent abandoned castle a few miles away. It was glorious, but no one ever went there. I could swear it was magic. We always said we'd go inside, but we never got around to it." Harry sighed with a smile, remembering, "we worked in a stable called 'The Theseral' tending to the biggest horses you'll ever see in your life. They ride so fast it feels like you're flying. I think that's the reason we stayed there so long. Because of the Theserals.'

Draco listened enraptured. He shook his head, "Why can't I be like you, Harry?" he sighed, looking out at the ocean, "Just head out for the horizon whenever I feel like it?"

"You can." said Harry, "Of course you can."

Draco smiled, knowing that it was impossosible. But still, just the thought...

"Say we'll go there one day, to Hogsmead. Even if we only just talk about it."

"No, we'll do it" Harry nodded eagerly, "We'll drink cheap beer. We'll explore that castle. We'll even ride those Theserals in the snow until you can't feel your face." he grinned, "But you know you'll have to ride like a real cowboy. None of that saddle stuff."

Draco gaped at him, "You mean... bareback?"

Harry grinned, nodding, and Draco laughed, "Well, I guess you'll have to teach me."

"It would be a pleasure."

Draco looked away, smiling. He didn't remember smiling so much.

He grinned at Harry again, "Alright Potter, teach me to ride like a man."

Harry grinned, "And chew tabacco like a man." he mocked an American accent.

Draco laughed, "And... spit like a man!"

Harry chuckled, "What, they didn't teach you that in Finishing school?"

"No!" he laughed.

"Well come on, I'll show you!"

Draco suddenly stopped laughing, "What?"

"Yeah!" Harry grabbed his hand, and pulled him to the edge of the boat, "Let's do it! Come on, I'll show you."

"What?" Draco gasped, "No! Harry, no!" Draco was pulling at his hand, but Harry was far stronger, "I couldn't possibly, Harry. No!" Despite his protests, Harry had dragged him to the edge, where there was nothing but ocean under them.

"Okay, watch closely."

Draco wanted to protest some more, but Harry was already making a sound with the back of his throat that sounded like he was choking.

The look on Draco's face was horrified as Harry drew his head back, and then threw it forward, spitting far out into the ocean.

He looked back at Draco with a grin.

"That's disgusting!"

Harry just laughed, "Alright your turn."

Draco did not want to participate in anything as vulgar as spitting, but he didn't want to back down. So he gathered as much saliva as he could in his mouth, and leaned over, spitting it out into the sea.

Harry was appalled, "That was pitiful!"

"Come on, you really have to hawk it back, you know?" he showed Draco again, who was suddenly concentrating very hard.

He nodded as Harry showed him again and again.

"Use your arms, see? Arch your neck."

Mimicking the sounds he made and the way he opened his mouth. When Draco tried again, the spit did more than just drop.

"Okay, that was better," Harry nodded, "Just work on your distance, but that was good."

"Really?" Draco grinned. He couldn't for the life of him figure out why the hell he was happy that his _spitting_ was improving, but still, he was happy. He was well aware that they were still in first class, and people were glancing at this unacceptably rude behavior in public, but Draco found it so hard to care. He was having fun! When was the last time he'd had fun? He was so focused on his spitting, that he didn't notice the small group of women moving slowly toward them.

"Really," said Harry, "Just get some body into it you know? Try again." Harry demonstrated again, hawking back, and Draco following him. He followed his every move, and then tried again.

"That was far!" Draco beamed.

"It was!" Harry grinned, "Now this time just-" Draco was watching him with a grin, and then he saw them behind him. His eyes widened as his mother, stood there watching them, a horrified look on her face.

With wide eyes, Draco straightened up and nudged Harry, trying to tell him to stop. Harry didn't get the hint, still going on with his snorting and hawking until Draco hit him with a particularly sharp elbow in the back. He finally looked at him, saw the look on his face, and followed his gaze. Harry's eyes widened when he saw the woman he'd seen the night before. Draco's mother.

He straightened up, and tried not to make a face as he swallowed down the spit already in his mouth.

Draco stepped forward, clearing his throat.

"Mother." he nodded, "You remember Harry Potter."

Narcissa looked at Harry, "Charmed, I'm sure."

Harry wasn't quite sure what that meant, but by Draco's face, he gathered it wasn't very nice. But still he smiled.

Draco was mortified. but still, a Malfoy never showed any of his emotions.

He'd somehow forgotten all about that that day though.

His mother was walking with Rita Skeeter, Draco's aunt, Bellatrix Black, and Tonks Lupin.

Draco explained to the others how he knew Harry, and sure enough, they were gracious and curious about the man who had saved his life.

His mother, however, looked at him like an insect. A dangerous insect that needed to be squashed quickly.

"Well Harry," Tonks was the first to speak, "It looks like you're a good man to have around in a sticky spot."

Harry smiled at her, "Thank you ma'am." even he was impressed at how proper he sounded.

Before anything else could be said, a loud trumpet sounded, causing Harry to jump.

Tonks groaned, "Why do they insist on announcing dinner like a damn cavalry charge?"

The others laughed. Well, except Narcissa. She was too busy scrutinizing every inch of Harry.

"Come Draco," she said, still looking at Harry, "Let's dress for dinner."

Draco nodded, following after her and the ladies.

As he walked, Harry stared after him, a smile on his face. Draco must have felt his gaze, because he turned around, their eyes meeting just before he rounded the corner.

"Son? Son!" Harry snapped out of it and turned around to see the woman introduced as Tonks. He hadn't noticed that she had stayed behind.

"Do you have the slightest comprehension of what you're doing?"

Harry blinked, "Not really," he said honestly.

Tonks sighed, "Well, what are you goin to wear?"

He blinked again, not understanding. "Uh... this?"

"I thought so." Tonks sighed sadly, "Come with me." She hooked her arm through Harry's and made her way towards the quarters.

He frowned, "I have to dress up for dinner?" he asked incredulously.

Before, he'd just been excited about good food and eating with Draco. But right now, Tonks looked like she felt sorry for him.

Well, it was too late to back out now, Harry thought to himself. So it was off to what Tonks dubbed the 'Snake Pit'. Harry had on idea how right she was.


	4. Chapter 4

"I was right!" Tonks Lupin exclaimed as she looked over her handy work, "You and my son are just about the same size."

"Pretty close," Harry mused as he looked at himself in the very long mirror. He'd never seen a mirror this big. And what was in the mirror was even more of a surprise.

He looked... good. Harry Potter actually looked presentable. Mrs. Lupin had dragged him to her quarters and ushered him into the bathroom with a few suits.

The bathroom itself was bigger than Harry's room in third class. He so wished the others were here to see this. And then those suits...

It took him ages just to figure out how they worked. There were so many pieces to it. Mrs. Lupin eventually chose a simple black and white 3 piece tuxedo, that looked incredible on him, if he could say so himself.

"You shine up like a new penny," she grinned, wiping away a fake tear, "I surprise myself sometimes."

Harry laughed, "Thank you so much, Mrs. Lupin."

"Pish, call me Tonks," she waved her hand, "And don't thank me yet. I still haven't managed to do anything about that hair."

"What's wrnog with my hair?" Harry brushed it defensively. Sure it was a huge mess, and refused to stay down no matter what Tonks had done, but still. It wasn't that bad, right?

She just shook her head and scoffed, "If you don't know sweetie, then I can't help you."

Another hour later, once Tonks was done dressing, the two finally made it to dinner. It seemed to be a huge occasion. Hell, it looked like a very rich party, but apparently, it was just dinner. There were tables and waiters and music and everyone was dressed to the nines.

Back in third class, everyone stood in a line and got their meal put on a plate and they ate in their rooms or on benches in the dining area.

This seemed like a whole other world.

Harry must have looked like a lost puppy looking around at everything like he was. He noticed how everyone was acompanied. Every lady had a gentleman on her arm, leading her around everywhere. Harry was at least like everyone else in that aspect, as he was accompanying Tonks, but possibly everyone could tell that she was doing the leading in that arrangement.

The two walked down a beautiful staircase, with a grand clock on the wall which seemed to be made out of gold. When they got to the bottom of the staircase, the pillars and post of the dining hall were simply marvelous, and Harry couldn't remove his eyes.

Harry couldn't help it, "Holy shit." he shook his head.

"Beautiful ain't it?" Tonks nodded.

"Brilliant," Harry nodded, "And the people too. Everyone is so beautiful."

Tonks shrugged, "They're alright."

Harry almost laughed, but then the laughter caught in his throat when he looked up at the staircase again, and there he was.

Coming down as if he was floating.

Harry didn't notice that he was staring until he felt Tonks chuckle, "Now that's what's beautiful," she smirked at him, "But you didn't need me to tell you that, did you."

Harry was too busy staring to notice that she'd caught him out, or that she didn't care. He couldn't have replied if he wanted to becasue now Draco was right in front of them. And he was smiling.

"You made it." he smiled at Harry.

Harry swallowed, "Er yeah. Yeah, I thought I'd try slumming it in First Class for tonight. Quaint, isn't it?"

Draco laughed, "Well we're happy you could grace us with your presense."

"You're very welcome," Harry bowed.

Draco laughed again, and then turned to Tonks, "Mrs. Lupin," he bowed his head, taking her hand and placing a light kiss.

She rolled her eyes, "If I have to tell you one more time to call me Tonks, I will box you in the ear, alright son?"

Draco just smiled, "My apologies, Mrs. Lupin."

She rolled his eyes at him, "Well, make yourself useful and accompany a lady to dinner. It's about time I tried my hand at juggling two men once again. I'm afraid marriage has made me boring."

The two grinned at the crass lady, and taking an arm of hers each they walked into the dining hall. The first people they came across, not surprisingly, were Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy.

"Father," Draco said, acknowledging the older Malfoy. Harry couldn't help but notice how his voice and face changed so suddenly, "You remember Mr. Potter."

Harry held out a hand, and Lucious looked over, and blinked, looking Harry up and down.

"Potter?" he tilted his head, and then let out a small laugh, suitable of a Malfoy, "Well it's amzing, truly. You could almost pass for a gentleman."

Harry smiled tightly, putting his hand down, "Almost," he replied.

"Amazing," Lucius said again, before breezing away, his wife on his arm.

"Ah Lucy," Tonks sighed, "Such a peach." She walked forward, dragging the boys with her, "Well then Draco, aren't you gonna give your friend the run down? I know you know just as much gossip as I do."

Draco smirked, his mood improving now that his father wasn't around.

"Of course, how rude of me," he smiled at Harry, and then turned to those of the snake pit.

"That lady over there with the ugly glasses? That's madame Rita Skeeter, of the Daily prophet. The biggest sneak and biggest liar you'll find, but she sells, so that makes up for it apparently. To her left," he pointed, "That's Cornelius Fudge. He's the ship Captain, and quite an idiot if you ask me."

"And everyone else," muttered Tonks.

"His little wifey over there is Lavender Fudge, nee Brown. She's my age, and in delicate condition. See how she's trying to hide it?"

Harry tried not to snicker as he saw the young lady holding a fan in front of her belly, trying to be inconspicuous.

"And over there," continued Draco, "Is Mr and Mrs. Goyle. Their son was my classmate when we were young."

"Is he on the ship too?" Harry asked.

"No, he's in prison." Draco said nonchalantly, and then carried on, "That's Madame Lestrange. She's my mothers sister, but she would have a fit if I were to ever acknowledge her as my aunt. Makes her feel old, you see."

Tonks chuckled, "See Potter? There's nothing to it really. They're just simple people who worship money. So pretend you own a goldmine, and you're in the club."

Draco went on pointing people out, with Tonks' entertaining commentary, and showing Harry around. All the while, his eyes were trained on Harry's face, where there was a permanent smile and polite chuckle and soft nod every now and again.

But what caught Draco's eye the most was the way he'd push his glasses up every few seconds, and the way his adam's apple bobbed up and down every now and again and how he'd brush his hair back, trying to neaten it, or the way-

Draco looked away quickly, before it became too obvious that he was staring. Why the hell was _he_ nervous all of a sudden. He cleared his throat, and finally, they had reached their table. It's only then that Draco realised just how many people his table sat.

All of the highest esteemed passangers sat at their table, and it only now occured to Draco what Harry was being thrown into. As the dinner started and everyone took their seats, greetings were made and introductions were made and Harry took in all stride. Draco so hoped that all these people wouldn't make Harry uncomfortable.

As it turned out, he needn't have worried.

"Potter eh?" Cornelius Fudge smiled as dinner commenced, "Are you of the Harrington Falls Potters?"

"Ah no, the Godric's Hollows Potter's, actually."

"Ah, yes… yes." Fudge nodded, pretending to know what Harry was talking about.

The simple questions went on steadily and Harry smiled at the table, laughing and teasing and being great company. Draco watched him with a constant smile on his face. He didn't remember ever smiling at all in this dining hall before tonight.

Harry must have been nervous, but he never faltered. They all assumed that he was one of them. Heir to a railroad fortune, perhaps. New money, obviously, but still a member of the club.

Mother, of course, could always be counted upon.

"Tell us about the accomodations in steerage, Mister Potter." She feigned a sweet smile, "I hear they're quite good on this ship." Draco closed his eyes as he grit his teeth. He was quite ready to throw a deadly glare at his mother, consequences be damned, but Harry answered immediately.

"The best I've seen ma'am." He said with a smile, "Hardly any rats."

There was light laughter around the table, and Draco let out a breath as he shot a smile at Harry.

"Mister Potter is joining us from the third class," Lucius informed the table, a champagne glass dangling from his finger tips, "He was of some assistance to my son last night."

Draco tried hard not to scoff. _Some assistance_. Trust father to put saving his life at such low merit.

Draco suddenly felt the urge to say something. Something to show everyone at this table just what a fine person Harry Potter was. He didn't know why he had the sudden urgency, but it couldn't be ignored.

"It turns out that Mister Potter is quite a fine artist," he informed the table, his voice boasting as if he was speaking of himself, "He was kind enough to show me some of his work earlier today."

Harry looked at Draco from his plate and shot him a soft, grateful smile, Draco smiled back, but the second long trance was broken when Lucius chuckled.

"Draco and I differ somewhat on our definition of fine art," he said. As an afterthought he added, "Not to impugn your work, Potter."

Potter shook his head as if saying _not at all_. Draco's glaring eyes turned to his father. Draco suddenly felt rather stupid thinking that this dinner would go by with his parents acting decently towards this man that had saved his life.

He really should have known better.

The meal continued as it usually did. Draco silent as he usually was. But instead of ignoring everyone around him, his eyes kept darting to his left, where Tonks sat chatting with Harry, seemingly explaining exactly what was going on at the table. It hadn't occurred to Draco that Harry may not know which fork to use when or what caviar was or how many courses there would be.

Thank goodness from Tonks, because even if Draco was sitting with Harry, he doubted he would be able to say much while looking at those impossible green eyes and those adorably hideous glasses.

It was because he was so busy trying not to stare at Harry that Draco realised that Harry was the centre of conversation again.

Because of Narcissa. Again.

"And where exactly is it you live, Potter?"she asked.

"Well right now, my address is the RMS Titanic," said Harry, "After that I'm on God's good humour."

"And how is it you have means to travel?" she asked. Draco grit his tteth. She sounded genuinely curious, but Draco knew his mother, and she was just looking for a way to make Harry stumble. But he did not.

"I work my way from place to place," he answered, "You know, tramp steamers and such. But I won my ticket on Titanic on a lucky hand at Poker." He smiled as he said that, and his eyes flashed to Draco, "A very lucky hand."

Draco felt his own eyes freeze as Harry smiled at him. For that split second he forgot that staring like this was very unbecoming of a Malfoy. And of a man in general.

Harry didn't seem to care.

"Ah yes, all life is a game of luck," a voice interrupted them.

"A man makes his own luck, Horace," Lucius drawled, "Isn't that right Potter."

Harry merely nodded.

"And you find that kind of rootless existence appealing, do you?" Narcissa asked.

Harry smiled again. He was starting to get a distinct feeling that these people didn't like him.

Draco had had it. He opened his mouth, ready to shut his mother up once and for all, but Harry beat him to it.

"Well, yes ma'am I do." he answered, all eyes on him, "I mean, I have everything I need right here with me. I've got air in my lungs, a few blank sheets of paper." he shrugged, sitting back in his chair, unphased by all the attention he was getting, "I mean, I love waking up in the morning not knowing what's gonna happen or…" his green eyes flashed to Draco, "Or who I'm gonna meet." Anyone who cared to notice would have seen that his gaze lingered a little too long, and his pause dragged a few seconds more than necessary. Harry finally dragged his eyes away and went back to regarding the table, "Or where I'm gonna wind up. Just the other night I was sleeping under a bridge, and now here I am in the grandest ship in the world dining with you fine people." There was laughter around the table as Harry's glass of champagne was refilled.

"I figure that life is a gift," he continued, "And I don't intend on wasting it. You never know what hand you're gonna get dealt next. You learn to take life as it comes at you. To make each day count." Harry smiled softly as he finished, and the look on his face matched Draco's as the blond lifted his glass in the air.

"To making it count," Draco said to the table, but his eyes never left Harry's. The table replied, raising their own glasses, "To making it count!" they chanted.

Harry raised his glass a little too late, having been a little distracted by the man two seats from him.

Dinner continued and more champagne was poured and more toasts were made, but Harry spent the rest of the meal trying to keep his eyes down. He didn't know why he was all of a sudden so nervous, not wanting to look at Draco anymore. But he couldn't help but keep glancing up at him, and it seemed that everytime he did, Draco was doing the same thing.

Harry felt awfully stupid. He talked a big game to his friends, but he had never actually thought that he would have a chance with the beautiful Malfoy heir. He was in first class for god's sake. And heir to the biggest fortune on the ship. Not to mentiom the fact that he was engaged. And also, he was a man.

Not many men thought the way that Harry did, and he'd grown used to never going past just looking at the people he fancied. But it didn't seem as easy with Draco Malfoy. He didn't want to just look. And it didn't help matters that every time Harry glanced over, silver eyes would sparkle and a pink tinge would rise on Draco's cheeks.

That part didn't help at all because it made Harry not so hopeless.

Harry didn't realised how much he had been thinking until Horace Slughorn at the other end of the table stood up.

"Well, that was delightful. Care to join me for a brandy gentlemen?"

The men at the table stood as they chatted. Harry didn't. And neither did Draco.

"Ladies, thank you so much for the pleasure of your company." Lucius nodded at the table. His eyes fixed on his son, and his head tilted to the side, "Come along Draco."

Draco shook his head, "I think I'll return to my chambers father," he said primly, "Thank you."

Lucius did not seem pleased at being dismissed in such a manner, but decided against causing a scene.

"Potter!" Harry looked up as Cornelius Fudge spoke, "Will you be joining us? You wouldn't want to stay out here with the woman would you." There were chuckled all around, and Harry joined in, hoping it didn't sound as fake and as phony as it was.

"No, thank you. I should be heading back now."

"Probably for the best," Lucius gave a sneering smile, "it will be all business and politics. Nothing at all that would interest you."

Harry's smile was getting harder and harder to fake.

"Ah well, good of you to come," Slughorn nodded at Harry, "Perhaps we will see you again."

Harry highly doubted it, but he smiled anyway as the table emptied, leaving the ladies, with Draco and Harry.

Harry may have stayed seated a bit longer if it weren't for the steely eyes of Narcissa Malfoy baring down on him. He cleared his throat, and slid his chair back.

"Once again, thank you all so much for having me." The ladies simpered their replies before going back to their conversations. Harry bent down to place a kiss on Tonks' hand.

"How'd I do?" he whispered.

Tonks laughed softly, "Good enough that I'm letting you keep that suit. You looked just like all the other brats."

Harry laughed with her, and then thanked her. And then he went to the other side of her, where Draco still sat.

"Must you go?" Draco asked him.

Harry let out a small smile. "Time for me to row with the other slaves," he muttererd, happy to see a laugh coming from Draco. Harry held out his hand to shake Draco's, and then bowed, much to Draco's annoyance, "Till again, Lord Malfoy."

As he slid his hand out of Draco's and turned around. Draco watched Harry walk away, hands in his pocket and nodding politely to the doorman before disappearing through the big doors. But not before casting one last look at the table.

It was only once he was gone that Roman noticed that there was something in his hand. The crumple told him it was a piece of paper. He made to look at it, but then thought that maybe he shouldn't be so obvious about it, seeing as Harry had taken such great care in making it discreet.

He turned back to the table, and looked down subtly at his lap and at the scrawled writing on it.

 _Meet me at the clock._ It said. _Make it count._

Draco looked up again at the doors through which Harry had disappeared.

Shaking out of his stupor, Draco shoved the piece of paper into his pocket and returned to his half full glass of champagne.

He didn't even wait for it to empty before he stood up, nodding at the table as he did.

When he reached the big clock, Draco wasn't surprised to see a head of messy black hair staring up at it. Draco stood at the bottom of the stairs, wondering what the hell he was doing, staring like this. What the hell he was doing following this mans note. What the hell his father would think about this. And why the hell Draco didn't seem to care.

Before he could answer any of these questions, Harry had turned around, and his face broke into a grin when he saw Draco. He jogged down the stairs, and Draco forgot what he had even been thinking so much about it.

"So," Harry grinned when he reached Draco, "Do you want to go to a real party?"

:::

 **This story has been sitting in a corner looking at me with puppy eyes and begging to be updated and I finally gave in. Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, I promise the next one will be out soon.**

 **And quick note, in this story, the ship is going to London, unlike in the movie where it was going to America. Sorry if I didnt mention it, and thanks to Mezita for asking about it.**

 **Till next time my Potheads!**

 **P.S: Don't forget to leave your feedback. It is greatly appreciated.**

 **-Leeh**


	5. Chapter 5

The last time Draco ran this fast was… well… last night. But the night before was different, the night before, Draco had been running away. From his family, from his life…. Form everything. Now… now for the first time, he was running towards something. And for the first time, he had someone running with him.

The night was a night of First for Draco certainly.

He had followed Harry out of the dining hall without another thought, and when Harry shot him a grin and broke into a run, Draco's own smile broke through and he ran after him. They dodged ship passengers and jumped down staircases and weaved around poles.

As they ran, Draco couldn't help but notice that they were possibly running closer together than was absolutely necessary. Their arms and shoulders brushed together over and over again, slowing them down somewhat, but it didn't seem that either of them minded at all.

Still though, Draco was shocked when, as they ran, a hand slipped into his. Draco eyes widened considerably when he looked and saw Harry's hand tightly gripping his. What shocked Draco more however, was how warm his suddenly cold hand was. How neatly tucked his pale hand looked in Harry's tanned one. And how for so long he'd just been staring at their joined hands.

Draco was so busy looking at their joined hands, that he didn't even realize that Harry was directing him through the many corridors of the third class. He didn't even notice when they finally got to their destination, but he couldn't zone out any longer as Harry threw open two big doors, and Draco was assaulted by noise and heat and music.

His stunned face turned from their hands to the room.

Harry had been right about one thing, this was nothing like the so called party they had just left.

Draco had never seen a room this full. So many people laughing and dancing and skipping and running. Children and adults alike.

There was a raised dance floor in the middle of the room, but it was almost empty as everyone was dancing right where they stood. Big glasses of beer were being passed around over people's heads, cigarette smoke covered the ceiling like a cloud, ladies skirts we're whirling both on the floor and in the air as they were twirled and spines around. There was a loud and joyful band that was dancing as much as the rest of the crowd.

This was… it was chaos. It was pandemonium. It was different that's anything Draco had ever seen.

… It was marvelous.

Harry gave Draco a minute to take everything in.

At first he was nervous at his silence, but seeing the look on Draco's face now, Harry grinned.

"So?" he had to yell to be heard, "what do you think?"

Harry's breath caught in his throat when wide, sparkling silver eyes flashed to him, and then Draco gave a smile that took over his face.

He didn't say anything, but that smile was answer enough.

"Come on, let's go find the others," Harry said tugging at the hand he was still holding. Together, they maneuvered through the dancing crowd until Harry caught a glimpse of two identical ginger heads of hair.

"He pushed through keeping Draco close to him, until he got to a table at the back.

"Harry!" Hermione shouted as soon as she saw him, and then gasped when she saw who was behind him. "Draco!"

By her overly loud voice and the half empty mug of beer in her hand, she was on her way to drunk. Ron seemed to be already there.

"You're beck from first class!" Ron shouted at them, "You look right posh."

Hermione rolled her eyes at his slurring and laughed. Before she could say anything, shouts of greetings burst from the dancing crowd and Fred and George emerged, sweating and grinning.

"Look who's back!" shouted George, "And you're not alone, Harry you dog!" he laughed, not noticing Harry's red face. "So tell us!" he yelled over the music and the shouting.

"What's it like to party with the rich and royal?" Fred finished for him.

"Well," Harry said slowly, trying to find a way to answer without offending Draco's people. He needn't have worried when Draco answered for him.

"It's dull and boring compare to this." He spoke up surprisingly, still looking around, his face filled with awe. Harry looked at him with a grin that could be described as nothing other than adoring.

The look wasn't lost on the four at the table. And they shared knowing looks in their drunken state. And then Ron, the only one who was sitting, noticed something else. He may have thought he was hissing it quietly to Hermione, but alas, he was drunk, so he gasped loudly and pointed.

"Oi look! They're holding hands!"

All hands turned to the pair and their still gripped hands. The suddenly bashful pair looked anywhere but at their hands. Draco's heart was suddenly beating very fast, wondering what Harry Potter's friends would say at the new development. The look of shock on Ron's face made him nervous to their reactions. It never actually occurred to him to just let go, though.

When Draco glanced at Harry's face, he didn't see uncertainty or shock, as he'd expected, just him glaring, pink cheeked at his friend.

Again, to Draco's surprise, Ron Weasley laughed.

"Must have been a bloody good dinner!" He grinned.

Hermione, usually the one to put Ron in line after his many stupid outbursts, simply slapped him upside the head, making him spill his beer.

"'Mione" he groaned in complaint.

"Well now you can go get yourself another one." The bushy haired girl told him with crossed arms, "and get some for Harry and Draco as well."

Ron stood up begrudgingly as he obeyed.

"I want one too!" She yelled after him.

"I only have two hands, woman!" they heard his yell from somewhere in the crowd. The twins followed after him, laughing.

"You going to help him?" asked Hermione.

Fred scoffed, "Of course not. We're just going to dance."

"I'll go with him." Harry spoke up quickly, finding that the blush on his cheeks wasn't going down, even after Hermione's distraction.

He looked to Draco, "will you be alright?"

Draco snorted, "Of course I will."

On the inside he wanted to say a resounding no, but pride and common sense won over.

Harry shot him a smile, and then went to follow Ron into the crowd.

Draco looked after him for a long while, until he heard a giggle next to him.

He looked at Hermione, who was suddenly right next to him and grinning.

"Come Draco," she said, "Take a seat. You'll be a little looser once you get that drink."

"I'm… I'm already loose," Draco said as he sat down tightly.

Hermione just laughed lightly, "Here," she handed her half full glass, "and take off that blazer you'll burn with all the heat in here."

Draco did as she said, hanging his blazer off the back of the chair. He then took a small sip of the drink in front of him. His eyes widened as he did.

"What is this?"

"I don't know!" Hermione answered giddily, "It's like beer, but it's incredibly sweet isn't it. I think they call it butter beer over here."

Draco took another sip of the very strange drink. He found himself finishing it before the even though about it. Whether from the nerves or the new taste, he didn't know, but the drink was gone before he knew it.

Hermione cheered when he set the empty mug down.

"Who knew the first class boy could drink!"

"This is definitely a night of many firsts," Draco mumbled as he burped lightly.

Hermione laughed, and to Draco's surprise, he felt the girl throw her arms around his shoulders from behind.

"That's right Draco!" she shouted in his ear, "firsts are always the best!"

Her impromptu hug was fast, but Draco blinked at her as she straightened up and carried on dancing on the spot.

He tried to remember when the last time someone hugged him was. He couldn't.

He found himself liking this bushy haired girl more and more.

"Ooh there're Ron and Harry!" She exclaimed as the two men approached the table, two mugs of butter beer in each of their hands.

"Wow, Hermione, you finished that one already?" Said Harry as he set the glasses next to the empty one.

"Actually that was your Draco!" she grinned as she snatched a glass.

Harry looked at Draco with wide eyes. Draco just grinned from his chair, feeling the beer work its way through him.

"What?" He asked, leaning back and taking one of the glasses, "Who says a first class boy can't drink?"

He winked at Hermione, and she laughed as she clinked their glasses together.

"Well here's to a lot of firsts, Draco Malfoy."

Harry watched Draco laugh with Hermione.

"Oh I love this song!" Hermione cheered suddenly as she slammed her mug of beer on the table, "I'm gonna find someone to dance with."

She danced away from the table and disappeared into the crowd. Ron blinked as she left.

"Someone to dance with?" He thundered, "what about me? I'm standing right here!"

"Well did you ask her to dance, Ron?" Harry asked him, a laugh ghosting his lips.

Ron blinked at him dumbly, "Well… well no. Not really." He slumped down in his chair again, grabbing Hermione's beer as he did.

Harry grinned as he sat down, letting his friend sulk for a while. He turned to Draco and opened his mouth, but before he could say a word he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and grinned.

"Ginny!"

The little girl behind him smiled and waved, "Will you dance with me Harry?" she asked, looking at the floor.

Harry glanced at Draco before he answered, and Draco shook his head quickly, "Go on, please."

"A-are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. Besides, I have your friend to keep me company."

Harry wanted to ask again, but Ginny's little hand was tugging at his.

"Alight Ginny," he said after shooting Draco a final smile. The little girl grinned as she bounced up and down, dragging Harry into the crowd.

Draco smiled after them watching as Harry let the little girl climb onto his feet, and then they were whizzing around the room. Ginny shrieking with laughter as they went.

"Do you think she's having fun?" Draco turned to see Ron, still cradling his beer.

Draco shrugged, "Well… well she's laughing quite a bit, so I think so."

Ron looked at him strangely for a moment and then scoffed.

"Not Ginny!" he exclaimed, "Hermione!"

"Oh." Draco said, "Oh well… I… I don't know."

Ron sank further in his hair, "Well she can't be having that much fun. She's dancing with some stupid man she just met."

Almost as soon as he said it, Hermione came whizzing past, head thrown back in laughter and attached to a man who was laughing just as much.

Ron gaped, his jaw dropping, "How dare she!" he sputtered, "She didn't even look this way!"

Draco blinked at the appalled man, fighting a smile.

"Uh… Ron." He said, "Why don't you just ask her to dance."

Ron looked at Draco like he was stupid, "Are you joking? Why on Earth would I do that? Then she'd know I like her." he scoffed as he gulped down more butter beer, "You know for such a posh man you really are quite stupid, Draco."

Draco tried not to smile. He'd never been called stupid before, and he was quite sure that it usually wasn't as amusing as this.

"Go on Ron, it's a party. Everyone dances with friends at a party." Draco actually wasn't sure if that was true. This was the first party he had actually been to. But Ron seemed to buy it, because he nodded, determined.

"You're absolutely right," he nodded, "Everyone dances at parties. With their friends. It's not a big deal st all." He nodded gain, gulping down his butter beer, "Alright. I'm gonna get her to dance with me instead of that awful man she was with. I don't like how low his hand was on her back."

Ron stood, nodding again, and ran off into the crowd. Draco laughed after him, shaking his head. He took a long gulp from his glass and leaned back in his chair with a smile.

He felt like he had smiled more in the past hour than he had all year.

This place was absolutely amazing, and only became more so as Draco sat looking around. The party was in full swing, and the band had eventually settled down at a table near Draco. People surrounded them, shouting requests and dancing on the spot and clapping along to the beat.

Draco clapped with them, his grin plastered on his face and his leg bouncing with the music.

Sitting there, he saw dancing partners switch every five minutes, and young children sipping on what he hoped was a non alcoholic version of the butter beer. He saw men starting fights and throwing punches, and then those same men laughing together seconds later.

He saw a man drink down a beer so quickly he fell over when he took a step. And then he saw him take another one as soon as he stood up.

A drunk man had sat next to Draco and spent a minute talking his ear off, before Draco could let him know that he didn't understand his language.

He had never had so much fun just watching people have fun.

He was still looking around when he saw Harry and Ginny dance up to the table. Harry bent over to the little girl, "Ginny," he said gently, "I' gonna dance with him now, alright?"

Ginny's little lip jutted out as she pouted, and then climbed off his feet.

Hurry ruffled her hair "You're still my best girl Ginny!" She grinned at him, and then waved before running off.

Draco smiled after her, until he saw Harry's hand held out to him.

"Come on."

"Wh… what, you were being serious?" he gaped, "No. No absolutely not."

"Oh come on!" Harry grinned at him, "You will not spend the night just sitting there. Come on, let's dance."

Draco let out a disbelieving laugh as Harry pulled him up, guiding him to the dance floor. He kept protesting, but did nothing to stop him.

They were suddenly surrounded by people dancing and Harry's hand was holding his, his hand on Draco's back.

Draco just blinked at him, "I… I can't do this."

Harry just smiled, "We're going to have to get a bit closer," he said, "like this."

He didn't know if it was the butter beer, or just him, but Draco couldn't help but let out a little gasp as the hand on his back pulled him closer.

Harry's smile never faltered. Not even at Draco's little squeak when Harry stared moving them around, not even bothering to start slow.

"Wait! Wait, Harry I- I don't know the steps."

"There are no steps," laughed Harry, "Just go with it."

Draco couldn't contain his little yelps every time they took a turn.

"Wait! Wait Harry, stop!"

Draco let out a bark of a laugh as they jumped over someone who had just fallen.

"Wait! Harry!" He laughed.

Harry only laughed with him as they kept dancing round the room. Draco had always been the one to lead in the first class dances. Of course he was.

But now, he had no problem letting Harry lead him around the room in sharp turns and leaps, taking near falls and trips, but always recovering enough to keep dancing.

Draco could not stop laughing. So much so that his eyes were almost always shut, only open enough to see Harry's own laughing face looking back at him.

Draco only managed to keep his eyes open for second. Just long enough to look up at the raised stage. It had been empty all night, but now…

Draco gasped, and then let out a laugh. Harry noticed where Draco was looking and turned to the stage.

He laughed along with Draco as they saw Ron and Hermione.

"Well it's about damn time!" Harry whopped. He immediately skipped Draco over to the stage, puling Draco up onto it, despite his very weak protests.

Ron and Hermione let out shouts of greeting once the two were on the stage together. Harry went right back to holding Draco as he was before, his moves far more precise now that they weren't weaving through the crowd. Even on display on the stage, no one batted an eye at two men dancing so closely. Whether they were too busy to notice, or whether they just didn't care, was a mystery. Draco himself was having too much fun to worry about it.

When Draco looked over at the other to, Ron was doing a drunken tap dance while Hermione watched on, clapping and laughing.

Harry, not one to be left out, let go of Draco, and started to mimic his friend's steps, albeit with more finesse. It wasn't clear if this was an actual dance or if they were making it up on the spot, but their alternating stops and taps on the wooden floor looked and sounded amazing.

And Draco Malfoy was not one to be out staged.

He didn't know if it was the butterbeer or if it was his pride, but the next thing he knew, he was peeling his slippery shoes off. Noticing immediately, Hermione held out her hands, and with a grin, Draco tossed them to her before strutting to the middle of the stage, causing Ron and Harry to slow to a stop as they stared in surprise as Draco stood between them.

Draco couldn't keep the grin off his face as he remembered what they had been moving. And then he started dancing. He had always liked to dance, but _this..._ this was different than liking.

It was so different...

Draco was grinning from ear to ear as his socked feet beat against the wooden floor without so much as a single thought going through his mind. Ron's eyes and mouth were wide open, Hermione stared with a laughing grin, and Harry's smile was radiant as they watched the first class boy move with the upbeat music. There were even a few outside the stage watching and clapping their hands along with the music and along with Draco.

As if he could no longer hold himself, Harry jumped towards Draco, and immediately picking up his rhythm, started dancing and tapping along with him. Draco could not stop his smile as he and Harry danced, spinning around each other and weaving through arms and leaping over feet and generally having a good time. Neither knew when, but somehow the two ended up with their arms linked, dancing around each other, stepping on each other's toes and not caring, bumping heads an knocking legs, and not caring. Even occasionally getting close to falling off the stage. And just not caring.

White and black hair swirled around their heads, sticking to their sweaty heads and falling into their open mouths.

And they did not care.

Soon enough, they weren't the only ones on the raised stage, but Harry and Draco hardly noticed. Their only focus was on the bubble that floated around the two of them in that moment.

It didn't seem like they would ever stop dancing. Neither would have minded if that had been the case, but then Draco's foot tripped over his other foot, and he was going down. He managed to let out a gasp as he fell, but he never hit the floor. He blinked up from the arms that had caught him and looked up at those sparkling green eyes.

"You alright?" Harry panted out.

Draco said nothing, he just threw his head back and laughed.

Was he alright? Was he alight?

He could honestly say, that he had never felt better.

He would have told Harry so, but as he looked up at him, he couldn't think of a single word.

It didn't occur to ether of them that Harry was still holding Draco from his fall. That they were still in the middle of a crowded floor. That they were staring at each other in a way that many would described as inappropriate. They didn't move for a long time.

Perhaps if they had, they would have seen a brooding man by the door, and they would have seen him walk out, his black coat billowing behind him.

:::

Harry walked Draco back to his first class chambers. Draco insisted that he didn't need him to, but Harry insisted that he would get horribly lost as soon as he left the door.

He was quite glad he had that excuse to use, even though he was sure that they both knew that that had very little to do with the reason he wanted to walk him back.

Even after spending all day and all night with Draco, Harry still didn't think he had enough of him He doubted he would ever get enough of Draco Malfoy.

They didn't speak as they walked, and there wasn't a single sound except the waves slapping against the ship. Just as on the way to third class, Harry and Draco's hands brushed against each other's far more times than was necessary, but this time, neither man was brave enough to fully grab on.

The smile that Draco had donned at the party was still on his face as he walked. And Harry... every time he glanced at the man next to him, his face kept lighting up. It was a wonder he hadn't bumped into something. As they walked through first class, Harry received looks from patrolling officers, but they said nothing when they saw who he was walking with. Harry hardly noticed them.

Far too soon Draco stopped in front of two very large doors.

"Well, here we are." he said quietly.

Harry nodded, "Okay." he nodded again, "alright."

Draco nodded back.

It was strange how they could hardly say two words now, after a night of no inhibitions.

"Well I'm... uh... I'm very glad you came to dinner tonight Harry Potter."

"Well I'm... very glad I came. And thank you very for coming with me to the party, Draco Malfoy. I know it's not your regular crowd-"

"It was absolutely brilliant." Draco said, his grin shining through, "Thank you. For tonight. For... for everything."

Harry gave him a slight bow, "It was my absolute pleasure, sir"

Draco gave a small laugh, which dwindled to a smile as Harry straightened back up.

And then again, they just stood there. Just looking at each other. Only when footsteps sounded from around the corner did the break out of the trance.

"Well, uh... um... goodbye then. Harry." Draco opened the door and stepped inside, giving a final wave, as Harry nodded.

"Goodbye Draco."

Harry caught a glimpse of another smile before the door finally closed behind Draco.

On the other side, Draco stood smiling, his back against the door as he thought of the man on the other side of it.

As he finally climbed into his bed, Draco let out a last laugh as he realized that he had forgotten his shoes.


End file.
